Once you have arrived, you will find yourself in a relic
micro-grove of Valley Oaks that survived clearing for the office
buildings. Such relic stands are common along river ways in the
Central Valley. A larger "grove" of the tallest oak species in
California is across Oak Gateway Ave. Once the Valley was covered
in groves of trees like this, where the soils were deep and moist.
Unfortunately for the oaks, these conditions were the first places
to get cleared and planted with crops. The mass clearing of the
valley oak has made the tree relatively uncommon; orange mesh
fencing around the trees where new construction is taking place is
to protect the existing native oaks. The acorns of the tree were a
preferred staple of the local indigenous peoples, being sweet and
less bitter than live oak acorns. The deep lobes, or sinuses, of
the leaves are typical of white oaks. The leaves can be quite large
(4"-6" shade leaves) though the younger leaves at the top of the
crown can be relatively small (~1"). Valley oaks can be found up to
5,500' elevation, as long as the soils remain moist; they are
confined to tight riparian bands in the foothills where other oaks
out-compete valley oak for water resources. They grow on steep
hills along the Grape Vine of I-5 as it approaches Lebec. It is
strange to see the majestic valley oaks in Frazier Park, CA, living
side-by-side with the more xeric species of pinyon pine and tucker
oaks. Valley oaks live between 400 and 600 years. The largest
individual grows near Covelo, CA; it stands 163-feet tall and is
110-inches in diameter. The large valley oak near the office
building is approximately 100 feet tall and 36" in diameter for
comparison.
The cache is a tall Rubber Maid container with a grey/black lid
and fits its hiding spot perfectly. It should be big enough to
handle small items and Travel Bugs. Satellites may be uncooperative
but the cache's location is somewhat limited. Use your geo-caching
senses and you'll be fine. Ants may be an issue as they find most
trees to be good shelter. If you're exceptionally allergic to ants,
wear some work gloves. Be careful when replacing the cache so that
special extraction tools are not needed for future discoverers. If
the reported ants or the cache's placement becomes too awkward for
the average-sized cacher, let me know! Those of smaller stature may
find the cache's recovery challenging but over 200 people have made
due with the resources on hand.
Lastly, if I may make a landscaping suggestion, you'll find that
your local nurseries that are not part of a national chain will
carry valley oaks in five gallon pots and larger. The tree is quick
growing and will add a natural element to your yard. So if you're
thinking of planting a shade tree in the yard, consider the valley
oak.